Cyber threat at top of fears for UK government

The government has warned that cyber terrorism is on the rise and poses a problem for the
country as more terrorism heads onto the web.

Already those in the security world responsible for monitoring attacks have noticed an increase
in 'nation-state' activity with fingers pointing Eastwards.

Speaking ahead of the publication of the National Security Strategy the Home Secretary Teresa
May said cyber security was one of the most pressing concerns faced by the country.

Attacks on government computers are likely to be seen as tier 1, which is the equivalent to acts
of terrorism, in the Nation Security Strategy.

The decision to announce the importance of protecting data from attack has been seen by some as
an indication that, despite the spending cuts coming later this week, this is an area that will be
given investment.

But the government has come in for some criticism for not taking its own security seriously
enough.

"Increased warnings in relation to "cyber terror" ahead of a spending review sounds like a move
to secure funding and avoid cuts - the UK Government warns this is a grave threat, yet continues to
use Internet Explorer 6, a browser that has been largely discredited due to its numerous security
flaws," said Christopher Boyd, senior threat researcher at GFI Software.

"As a country, we have struggled to deal with modest, home-grown threats effectively − such as
those posed by script kiddies − so what chance do we have against professional computer criminals
with our current grass roots law enforcement, intelligence and counter terrorism capabilities and
initiatives?" he added.

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